NH officials say they're looking into neo-Nazi incident outside drag story hour in Concord

The New Hampshire Attorney General’s office says it is working with other law enforcement partners to look into an incident involving a neo-Nazi group in Concord this weekend.

“Our Civil Rights Unit is certainly aware of this incident and is actively working with Concord Police and our law enforcement partners to look into it further,” Department of Justice Spokesman Michael Garrity told NHPR on Monday.

Concord Police said they were called to Teatotaller Sunday morning, after members of NSC-131, a white supremacist group, gathered outside. At the time, the cafe was hosting a drag story hour.

A video posted to social media by the performer leading the story hour on Sunday shows a group of people, with their faces covered, standing outside the cafe while chanting and doing a Nazi salute. One person is also seen banging on the windows from outside. 

Concord Police said no arrests were made. They also said NSC-131 has not been an “ongoing problem” in the city, and it was not known to gather publicly in the area. 

NSC-131 has been active elsewhere across New England, and the New Hampshire Attorney General’s office is currently pursuing civil action against them in connection with a 2022 incident in which their members allegedly hung a racist banner in Portsmouth. 

Related: Veterans group calls for stronger law enforcement action against neo-Nazis in New England

This isn’t the first time that protesters have targeted Teatotaller, which describes itself as a “queer hipster oasis of tea, coffee + pastry goodness,” over events that promote LGBTQ+ inclusion.

A small group of protesters affiliated with the far-right group the Proud Boys also targeted the cafe’s first drag queen story hour last November, featuring the same performer who led Sunday’s event. At the time, a large crowd of counter-protesters also showed up in solidarity with Teatotaller and others at the event.

In a Twitter post Sunday night, the cafe’s founder Emmett Soldati said they would continue hosting these events. 

“Despite this hate filled disruption, @TeatotallerTea  was not deterred,” Soldati said.